Calendars Hub

“This is me out of shape,” said the fireman, Taylor Murphy, as he
flexed an outlandishly large pectoral muscle. He was standing topless,
applying cocoa butter to his 6-foot-5, 265-pound frame, in front of an
enormous turn-of-the-century steel rotary converter.

Nearby, Alan Batt,
who was photographing Mr. Murphy for a charity calendar featuring
beefcake shots of smiling New York City firefighters, fiddled with his
tripod. “I knew this guy was built like, ‘rrruhhhr!’ ” Mr. Batt said,
grunting and making a “this big” gesture with his hands. “So I wanted
him in a place that was rrruhhhr, you know?”

Here's a little Prop 8 break for you. Some shots from the tryouts for the 2010 Switzerland's Sexiest Farmers calendar. According to Spiegel Online, this year's calendar "focuses on landed men of the Jungfrau Mountains." I don't know what "landed men" means but I'm sure some of you would be happy to land one.

According to Urs Schneider, the deputy head of the Swiss Farmers' Union, "Swiss farmers still suffer under the prejudice that they are a bit conservative and uptight."

Virgin America announces in-flight air-to-ground broadband: "But even more interesting...VA will also be offering what amounts to a fleet-wide, airborne social network. Guests on one plane will be able to interact with other guests on that plane -- and with flyers on other planes within the VA fleet -- using Red. As I understand it, they've got some pretty ambitious plans in the works for in-flight interactivity. This could get really interesting."

British politician accused of winning local election by slinging homophobic comments, court hears: "The court heard Mr Smith was devastated by the way he had lost his seat to Ms Grell by 28 votes. He later moved to northern England. In the final weeks of canvassing, people slammed doors in his face and, after his defeat, he was abused, threatened and spat at, the court heard. Leyton resident Naomi Robinson told the court she was shocked to hear Ms Grell call Mr Smith a paedophile during the election campaign. She said: 'Miss Grell told me to ask him [Mr Smith] about his 14-year-old boyfriend as she was driving away from the front of the house. I was quite shocked actually. I was not sure whether to believe it was true or not.'" UPDATE: Accused claims political conspiracy against her.

Ricky Martin closes on swank Manhattan condo at a $3.5 million discount: "Martin's 2,637-square-foot pad with 11-foot ceilings includes a great room, a gourmet eat-in kitchen, a dining room and a study off the master suite. The residence features oak floors and a master bath with a 'wet room.'"

UK students behind "racist/homophobic/sexist" Facebook group: "The creator of the group defends it in a disclaimer, accompanying the comments. He says: 'This group is tolerant of all racial groups, genders, people of all different sexual persuasions. It welcomes anyone and everyone. Join us. It’s just a bit of a laugh.' But the group – as demonstrated by its name – does go on to write discriminatory things about all different types of people."

Conservatives protest gay textbook bill in Sacramento: "'The Campaign for Children and Families' claimed students would be forced to read about gay history and exposed to 'bisexual propaganda.' The group called for a veto. 'This is not teaching them the birds and the bees,' said Randy Thomasson of the Campaign for Children and Families. 'This is saying a boy can wear a girl's dress. This is saying you might want to engage in bisexuality or transsexuality. This would revolutionize sex education.'..The bill's supporters said they believe the bill would build tolerance and non-discrimination in public schools."

Said Christophe Solignac, who trains the "Melee Alpine" (Alpine Scrum) team in Grenoble: "It always surprises people when at the beginning of a match we introduce ourselves as a gay team, but once on the pitch, we earn the other side's respect. Ultimately, we share the same passion regardless of our sexuality. Straight rugby men who play against against us know it's a very tough sport, and our sexuality doesn't stop us training in the snow in winter, when the temperature falls below freezing! And the old fantasy about gay rugby men mucking around in the showers or the locker rooms really is a load of rubbish."

Although ironically, the "old fantasy" continues to be perpetuated by the straight French national rugby team with their series of Dieux du Stade rugby calendars, books, and videos, the latest of which has just begin to hit the media.